If a recent Evans Data Corp. survey is any indication, IT administrators are increasingly worried about security holes in mainstream database products and are looking at open source alternatives. But John Andrews, president of the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based research firm, said that doesn't mean open source is necessarily better.

Growing interest in open source databases can be compared to the popularity of open source Web browsers like Firefox, he said. People got tired of malware targeting flaws in Internet Explorer and turned to Firefox as the better option. But as more people download Mozilla's browser, security researchers are uncovering more bugs as well. The same scenario may play out as open source databases grow more popular.

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